Maple Pecan Biscuits

How fortunate that most people like biscuits, and are happy to test them!  There's nothing like the snap of a freshly made biscuit, and these are a great example of the species.   Light and crisp, with a bit of a crunch and a lovely smell of maple, these are relatively quick to make, although they do need two hours to chill in the fridge, so instant gratification is out...    The recipe came from the Sunday Times, just one of the many tear-outs I, like you, keep, just in case I feel inspired.  I haven't tested them either gluten or dairy free.

Top tip:  Watch them!  One batch browned quite quickly - they also spread out on the baking sheet.  As you can see from the photo, I'm incapable of rolling a perfect log - most of the biscuits are oval, but they taste great.

Maple Pecan Biscuits

Maple Pecan Biscuits

5oz/140g butter, softened

80g/3oz maple syrup

2oz/60g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

5oz/140g flour

1oz/30g cocoa powder

6.5oz/180g toasted pecans, coarsely blitzed

In a medium sized bowl, beat the butter until it is smooth, then add the maple syrup and sugar, beating again until the mixture is light and fluffy.  A hand held beater is good for this, but just don’t do the sugar on full power straight away!

Next, add the egg yolk, and beat again, this time for a couple of minutes.  The mixture should be pale and light.  Now stir in the flour and pecans. You will have some very soft dough.   Divide this in two, putting each half on a piece of cling film, using the film to help form two sausages about 2”/5cm in diameter.   Wrap the cling film securely round each sausage and chill for at least two hours. 

The oven should be at 180 deg C.  Line two or three baking sheets with parchment, then cut the chilled dough into slices about ¼”/5mm thick.  Arrange them on the sheet so there is space between each one, and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.   They will be soft, but will crisp up after they have been cooled on a wire rack. 

Best eaten warm.   Store in an airtight tin.  The original recipe suggested it would make 24 or so, but I made about 35 thinner ones – if you cut the dough into thicker slices, it will spread further, so you need more space on the tray otherwise the biscuits melt into each other.